Foam Wing Material

[Joseph Patterson]

     A friend of mine and myself are getting ready to buy a Tekoa foam wing cutter and some foam material. We know absolutely zero about cutting foam wings, but really want to learn the process. My first question is about foam material- what is an economical, but  good foam to start with- we have been looking on the internet and see that EPS is probably the material we need. We have located a company near us that sells EPS 1.5# density. Is this what we need? I guess the other thing we need to do is get a Bob Hunt tape/DVD. Does he still put'em out? 
     Thanks for any help or advice,
             Doug       

[Tom Niebuhr]

Doug,
Bob still sells videos. I don't know about that particular subject, but if you call him I am sure that he will help you. Bob is very generous with his help .

[WhittleN]

Doug
I too have the Tekoa foam cutting system.  Works great.  Instructions are very good.  1 pound density is what folks use.  Another thing is make sure its virgin bead foam – it cut’s better.
Norm Whittle
Foam cutting Amateur

[Crist Rigotti]

Yup, 1 pound density virgin foam.

[sleepy gomez]

Yes, 1 pound density virgin foam.  One pound foam will be white.  White foam can be from 1/2 pound to nearly two pound.  A reliable foam seller can show you the difference.  Non virgin foam has been made with some recycled foam pieces.  For insulation purposes this is okay.  For model craft the non virgin foam will create hard spots that will give irregular cuts.  Virgin foam is not the least expensive but is well worth it as it will give an even cut.  In case you are wondering, blue foam is generally thought of as two pound density and the pink foam as four pound density.

Sleepy Gomez, cutting foam wings since 1973

[Joseph Patterson]

    Thanks for the help. SO it will be 1 lb virgin foam.

[dave siegler]

What do you ask for?  EIFS foam?  How much do you need to purchase? 

[Joseph Patterson]

 Dave I was asking about EPS FOAM and the best density/wt. to use. We checked with a supplier in in the Baton Rouge area and what they stock is 1.5# and above. I don't know what EIFS is that you mention. As I said earlier, we know absolutely zero about foam or cutting foam, but we gonna learn thanks to you guys and our determined effort to learn  as much as we can by study / trial and error.
        Doug   

[phil c]

EIFS= External Insulation Finishing System.  It is a construction industry specification for the materials and application methods for the stucco finish you see on many very expensive homes.  It includes a lot of details on exactly how it must be done(they had many, many problems early on), but for us the key is the specification for the foam.  EIFS foam has to be very uniform with virtually no gaps between the beads and the beads have to be stuck thoroughly together.  The density has to be .9-1lb/cu.ft. and uniform throughout.

It may be a bit more expensive, but is well worth hunting down since it is so much easier to work with.

[dave siegler]

I have been using stuff from Menard's.  About 10$ for a 4x8x2" sheet.  Results have been OK, but not great.  I would like to get 3 or 4 " foam but don't want to buy a whole pallet.  Roffing and stucco want be to buy a whole bunch.

Where can I go and how little can I get away wiht buying? 

[Joseph Patterson]

 Thanks Phil for the reply. We bought the foam you recommend yesterday from a supplier who specializes in sheet foam sales only. It was 1.0 lb./cu.ft. We paid 65.00 for (2) bags, ea. with (6) sheets 24" x 48" foam. One bag had 2" thick sheets  and the other 3" sheets. Should be enough to supply us with wings and stabs for a long time, but maybe not the way we fly!
     Doug